Dame Silvia Cartwright
Dame Silvia Cartwright is a distinguished New Zealand jurist who served as the 18th Governor-General of New Zealand from 2001 to 2006, the second woman to hold the office. A trailblazer for women in law, she was the first female High Court judge in New Zealand and led the landmark 1988 "Cartwright Inquiry" into cervical cancer treatment. She also served as an international trial judge in Cambodia, presiding over the trials of former Khmer Rouge leaders accused of genocide and crimes against humanity.
Silvia lives in Auckland, with her puppy Beryl.
Photo credit Stephen Tilley
Verb Readers & Writers Festival 2026 events Dame Silvia Cartwight features in: